12 October 2023 , 12:51
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Louise Butcher, 50, is an avid runner. In the past 12 months, she has completed an impressive three marathons, and is often seen out and about jogging by locals who live in her village of Braunton, Devon.
But there is something unique about Louise's running; she does it topless. Rather than opting for exercise gear, Louise chooses to shun tops and instead heads out in just her leggings and trainers.
Louise describes the decision as "empowering" - and it's not hard to see why. She was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in April 2022 and underwent a double mastectomy. She now chooses to jog topless to raise breast cancer awareness.
Louise was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and underwent a double mastectomy (Louise Butcher / SWNS)She said: "It’s really empowering and I do it every day. I did a local marathon on Sunday and had a massive outpouring of love. It's opening up the awareness around breast cancer and helping to normalise it a little bit. It's normal where I am now. It feels weird when I wear a top to run!"
In fact it's become such a common sight that locals express concern when Louise is covered up. "I went out the other day with a top as it was a little cold and I usually take it off when I warm up, and this woman stopped me in the street and asked me why I was wearing a top," she admitted.
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Louise, who has chosen not to have reconstructive surgery, says she doesn't feel like she is being brave by running topless. "When I first did it, it wasn't tough, it just felt a bit weird but now I don't blink an eye, it's who I am now," she said. "It's just about inspiring women to have body positivity – even women who haven't had breast cancer. We don't have to feel shame. It's opened up the argument and the perception of what society looks at breasts as."
She now has her sights set on a major goal - the London Marathon next year. And she is setting up a topless swim ahead of the race to encourage other women to be proud of their bodies.
The active mum is often seen running around her village in Devon (Louise Butcher / SWNS)October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Dr Hana Patel, an NHS GP and Medico-Legal Expert Witness, previously shared symptoms to look out for, including feeling a lump in the breast.
"Very rarely, you can get discharged from your nipples, it might be white, it might be green. It could be clear, or coloured. So just fluid coming out of your nipples," she said.
"You could get swelling or lumps in the armpits. The other thing that we look for as doctors is changes to the skin. So if your skin looks a bit funny around the breast, any rashes or redness," she adds. "It can look like orange peel or dimpling. You can also get something called tethering where the skin looks poor, because it might be a lumpy or it looks like your nipples are different or inverted where it points in rather than pointing out.
"Breast pain isn't usually a common symptom of breast cancer, but we see a lot of women who come in and say that their breasts are hurting." If you have any of these symptoms visit your GP as soon as possible.